A Jury Of One
by ilovetvalot
Summary: When Emily Prentiss suddenly reappears in little Jack Hotchner's life can she and Hotch make him understand that death really is an unavoidable part of life despite how it looks. TWOSHOT
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: Hello, Friends. A couple of announcements for all of you. First, you still have approximately two weeks to sign up for "The Masquerade Challenge" for October's on "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. We also have a "Freaky Friday" mini-challenge in progress for those interested. Details for both can be found at the forum. We'd love to have all of you sign up. I think we'll have a lot of fun this Halloween Season.**_

_**Second, you all have a little less than a month left to nominate stories for the second Annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards. The nomination ballot, rules and category summaries can be found at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. To reach that post please either take a trip to the forum OR links are provided on the profile pages of ilovetvalot, Profiler's Choice CM Awards AND tonnie2001969. Nomination ballots should be PM'd to the Profiler's Choice CM Awards ONLY. That link is also provided on the forum or the profile pages listed above. PLEASE REMEMBER, WITHOUT NOMINATED STORIES, THERE CAN BE NO AWARDS! SO, PLEASE, COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE FANFIC AUTHORS AND NOMINATE THOSE STORIES. **_

_**ALSO, we would love for our fellow author's to assist us in advertising these awards! Please feel free to copy and paste anything in this author's note or contact us for a pre-written blurb if you like.**_

_**And, please, everyone, feel free to join us over on Facebook! Simply search for "Ilovetvalot Fanfiction" and friend me. We have scores of authors connected together and we'd love to see you there! **_

_**As ever, we appreciate every single one of you that takes the time to read and/or review our stories. Your valuable feedback is deeply appreciated and we love hearing from you!**_

_**And, if we haven't stated it before, we do not own Criminal Minds, but darn, we wish we did!**_

_*******_** SPECIAL NOTE: For whatever reason, disabled the Profiler's Choice Awards PM system. That means all attempts to submit ballots failed from September 11 - 16. Could you all please help spread the word that anyone who tried to submit a ballot during this period listed above should RESEND their submissions. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We really need help reaching all the different ships out there though. So, PLEASE, those willing to help, let me know if you can include this as part of your author's notes to readers.*****

* * *

**A Jury of One**

**Chapter One**

Emily Prentiss was no stranger to danger. After all, she'd faced down serial killers unarmed, negotiated with robbers and thieves intent on taking her life, and took on a terrorist ring led by one of the world's most dangerous criminal masterminds of this century…all because of her belief in God and country. Hell, she'd even found the strength to finally tell her mother what she truly thought of her despite her father's warning that she was dealing with the sister of Satan himself.

And none of that, harsh as it might have been, had ever really frightened her.

She'd been blessed with nerves of steel, or so others said. A predisposition to panic simply wasn't in her genetic makeup, the compartmentalization she'd learned at an early age paying off in spades.

At least, that's what she'd thought.

Sitting here now, staring across the dining room table into the accusing eyes of a person she loved...she realized that everything she'd thought she knew about herself was a lie.

For the first time in her life, she was terrified. To her very core. Because this wasn't just any random person she faced.

This was the son she had wished she'd had...the little boy of the man she loved, so much like his father in both looks and demeanor that it broke her heart to look at him.

And she'd once sacrificed almost everything to protect another little boy just like him.

"Jack, say something," Emily said softly, clasping her hands nervously under the table as she waited for the betrayed little boy to react to her reappearance in his life.

Lower lip trembling as sat stiffly in his chair, Jack Hotchner blinked back angry tears. "You lied! I thought you was gone like my mommy went away! The forever away!"

"I know," Emily whispered, unable to dispute a single accusation. "I did lie to you, sweetheart." She nodded slowly, knowing that acknowledging the sin was the only way to overcome it. "I didn't want to. But I had to make sure you were kept safe, baby."

"You went away and left us," Jack accused angrily, wiping furiously at the tears that leaked down his cheek. "Just like mommy," he railed, his small body shaking with emotion that almost overpowered him. "You pwomised, Aun' Em'ly! You said you'd never leave me!"

"Not because I wanted to, Jack. I never wanted to leave you or your daddy. But, there was a really bad man that wanted to hurt me. And he would have hurt you to hurt me. I couldn't let that happen. I love you and your daddy way too much to let someone hurt you."

"Grown-ups ALWAYS say that," Jack shrieked, bouncing his clenched fists against the shiny wooden table. "Daddy said it when he left me and mommy. Mommy said it, too, right 'fore she goed away forever! You all say that you never wanna leave, but then you do anyways! But you pwomised me Aun' Emmy," Jack babbled almost hysterically, his eyes glazed. "And you lied! I hate you!" he screamed.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Emily replied softly with a breaking heart, her chest suddenly tighter than she ever remembered. "I understand if you want to hate me. I hate that I hurt you. But, I never, ever stopped loving you. Not for one second."

"Don't care!" Jack said, standing so abruptly that his chair toppled as he stomped the floor with his sneakered foot. "I don't believe you!"

She couldn't blame the child. God only knew that Jack Hotchner had seen more in his five short years than some men ten times his age would see in a life time. How could she ever find a way to break through the steel wall that had been erected between them?

Sighing as she stood up, reaching out for the toppled chair, she whispered, "Jack, baby…"

"I's not a baby!" Glaring at her, he added, his lower lip puckered, "You didn't love me, Aun' Emmy. You left and you don't love me."

Kneeling down beside the little boy's stiffened body, Emily met his dark eyes, shades of his father staring back at her. "I do love you. I promise. But grown-ups have to keep everyone safe, and that's why I left. If I could have done it any other way, I would have, and I would have never left you or your daddy." She could only hope at this point that something, anything, she said would break through the icy wall that was separating them now.

Shaking his head from side to side, his dark hair bouncing with the expended energy, the little boy huffed out, "Don't matter no more."

Watching helplessly as his little feet stomped toward the hallway, Emily wondered, not for the first time, how she was supposed to right a wrong that might not be fixable in the eyes of a five year old. Pushing to her feet, she moved quickly to follow…only to find her query standing stock still in the middle of the shadowed hallway next to the stairs.

And while she was glad to see that he had not gone far, his next question would be one that would haunt her for the rest of her adult life.

"Does this mean Mommy's coming back, too?"

It was the sudden hope in those pleading words that broke the final wall inside her.

"Oh, honey…."

"You came back. You were gone like Mommy, right?" He looked up at her with brightly shining eyes that were widening more with each passing word. "So that means Mommy hasta come back. Was she with you, Aun' Emmy?"

"I...," Emily fumbled, her hand gripping the stairwell's banister for support. Oh, God, what had she done, she asked herself as she stared into the hopeful eyes of Aaron's son. "Sweetie..." she whispered, grateful that there was a step she could sit on before she fell down.

"Jack," a deep gentle voice said from the shadows, "We talked about that before Aunt Emily got here, remember?"

Jerking her head toward the sound of Aaron's voice, she blinked back tears. From the moment this nightmare had begun for her, Aaron Hotchner had stood in her corner, silently supporting her decisions even when he'd vehemently disagreed with them. He, like her, was suffering for the deception she'd undertaken, both from his team and now, it appeared as Jack turned to glare at his father, from his son.

"Jack, don't be mad at daddy," Emily said softly, touching his small hand. "This is all my fault."

"I hate you! Jack cried suddenly, his face hardening once again. "I wants MY mommy! If you can come back so can my mommy!"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Hello, Friends. A couple of announcements for all of you. First, you still have approximately two weeks to sign up for "The Masquerade Challenge" for October's on "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. We also have a "Freaky Friday" mini-challenge in progress for those interested. Details for both can be found at the forum. We'd love to have all of you sign up. I think we'll have a lot of fun this Halloween Season.**_

_**Second, you all have a little less than a month left to nominate stories for the second Annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards. The nomination ballot, rules and category summaries can be found at "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" forum. To reach that post please either take a trip to the forum OR links are provided on the profile pages of ilovetvalot, Profiler's Choice CM Awards AND tonnie2001969. Nomination ballots should be PM'd to the Profiler's Choice CM Awards ONLY. That link is also provided on the forum or the profile pages listed above. PLEASE REMEMBER, WITHOUT NOMINATED STORIES, THERE CAN BE NO AWARDS! SO, PLEASE, COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITE FANFIC AUTHORS AND NOMINATE THOSE STORIES. **_

_**ALSO, we would love for our fellow author's to assist us in advertising these awards! Please feel free to copy and paste anything in this author's note or contact us for a pre-written blurb if you like.**_

_**And, please, everyone, feel free to join us over on Facebook! Simply search for "Ilovetvalot Fanfiction" and friend me. We have scores of authors connected together and we'd love to see you there! **_

_**As ever, we appreciate every single one of you that takes the time to read and/or review our stories. Your valuable feedback is deeply appreciated and we love hearing from you!**_

_**And, if we haven't stated it before, we do not own Criminal Minds, but darn, we wish we did!**_

_*******_** SPECIAL NOTE: For whatever reason, disabled the Profiler's Choice Awards PM system. That means all attempts to submit ballots failed from September 11 - 16. Could you all please help spread the word that anyone who tried to submit a ballot during this period listed above should RESEND their submissions. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We really need help reaching all the different ships out there though. So, PLEASE, those willing to help, let me know if you can include this as part of your author's notes to readers.*****

* * *

**A Jury of One**

**Chapter Two**

"That isn't true," Hotch automatically denied, stepping forward when his son jerked away from the almost broken woman on the stairs. Squatting in front of his emotional little boy, Hotch said calmly, "We discussed this. Aunt Emily didn't actually go to heaven. She didn't die."

"Nuh uh!" Jack shook his head furiously. "She's in da gwaveyard with Mommy. We watched 'em bury da box Aun' Em'ly was in," he declared, his breath hitching. "She had the rock with her name on it and everything, Daddy! We seed it! We all did! You cried! Just like wiff mommy!" he charged, shooting Emily another withering look filled with pain as his little mind struggled to comprehend everything that had happened.

"I know," Aaron soothed, reaching to run his thumb along Jack's damp cheek, collecting his son as he reached back for Emily's shaking hand with the other. "I know what we saw, son. And it was a rotten, nasty trick that we had to pull. But we had to keep everyone safe. And letting everybody, even all your other aunts and uncles, think that she was really gone was the best thing."

"I don't believe you," Jack retorted, sniffling as he wiped his nose on the long sleeve of his shirt, pushing away from his father even as he kept one hand clutched in Hotch's shirt. "You saw mama, didn't ya?" he asked Emily, almost daring the woman to deny it.

"No, sweetie," Emily shook her head. "I didn't. I didn't go to heaven, baby," she tried to explain. In truth, she made a whirlwind trip into hell, but this wonderful child never needed to know about that. "I just went away for awhile. But, I swear to you," she said, desperately trying to interject some strength into her trembling voice, "I'm not leaving again."

Come hell or high water, she swore to herself that she'd keep her word this time to this confused child.

"Don't believe you!" Jack yelled at her. "You either!" he said angrily, looking at his dad. "You the most!" he said, his little hand connecting with Hotch's chest with a thud. "Cuz you knew da truff, Daddy! Didn't ya?" he cried.

"I did," Hotch nodded gravely, his heart breaking at the betrayal shining in his baby boy's eyes. This child that he was supposed to protect. Every choice he'd made, he'd make again, but the punishment for their crimes was going to be steep. "But one day, Jack," he said hoarsely, "You'll understand why we had to do this."

"No, I won't," Jack sobbed, shaking his head. "You shoulda brought mommy back wiff you," he said, tears pouring from his eyes as he turned to look at Emily.

Shattered, Emily swallowed. "I would if I could, Jack. But mommy is in heaven with the angels. She can't come back."

"You did, you meanie. I wish you was really dead and my mommy was here!" he screamed, turning sharply toward her as his father caught him around the waist. "Lemmee go!" he yelled at his dad.

"Lower your voice," Hotch ordered sternly, not letting go of his squirming son. "You are allowed to be as angry as you want, but you aren't allowed to say mean things... things you'll be sorry for later."

"Aaron," Emily said as shook her head as she wiped her own tears away. "Don't. He's allowed to feel that way. In his shoes, I would to," she defended the little boy she loved like her own, her eyes meeting Jack's.

"You hurted me," Jack blamed her, pointing his finger in accusation. "You boff did. On da inside where it really, really hurts. My mommy never hurted me like you," he whispered.

"I am so sorry, Jack," Emily said, tears burning her eyes. "You've got to believe that you are the very last person I'd ever want to hurt. And I know your daddy feels the same way."

"Sometimes adults have to make the best decision they can at the time that they are forced to make them, son. That's what Emily and I did," Hotch attempted to explain as he rested his palm on Jack's stiffened back.

"Growed ups suck and so do you! Both of ya," he spat, dodging past Emily to run up the stairs.

Wincing as a door slammed in the distance, Emily lifted horrified eyes to Aarons impassable face. "What have I done?" she whispered as a sob caught in her throat.

Sighing, Hotch grimaced at the misery on Emily's upturned face and bent to sit heavily on the step beside her, wrapping one strong arm around her slender shoulders and pulling her against him. "You did what you thought was best at the time," he answered gravely. "Wrong or right, it was necessary."

"He hates me," Emily breathed raggedly as her own emotions overwhelmed her."He hates everybody right now, sweetheart," Hotch murmured, pressing his lips to her temple. "We've both been convicted by a jury of one."

Thankful for Aaron's supportive embrace, Emily nodded against his shoulder. "So what do we do now?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder up the staircase, the steps seeming higher than she had remembered before.

"We do what every attorney does when he or she loses the first battle," Hotch said softly. "We appeal his decision and hope for a better outcome."

Inhaling a deep breath as Aaron's spicy clean scent comforted her, she nodded. "I wonder how many of those I get."

"As many as it takes," Hotch's deep voice reassured her. "He's five, Emily. We'll give him a few minutes to cool off and we'll try again. And we'll keep trying. Together."

"Together," she whispered, linking her fingers with his.

And as the muffled sound of Jack Hotchner's tears drifted down the stairs to torture them both, they clung to each other as the weight of his judgment bore upon them.

Sometimes there was no justice no matter what the reasonable defense might be.

_**Finis**_


End file.
